A representative for Toledo did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

When Toledo was just a teenager she immigrated from Cuba to West New York, New Jersey where she embarked on a career in the fashion industry, according to the AP.

She attended the Fashion Institute of Technology and Parsons School of Design where she studied painting, ceramics and fashion design, according to the AP. She did not graduate.

In 1984 Toledo married artist Ruben Toledo. The pair went on to become collaborators.

One year later, Toledo presented her first collection, gaining the support of Fiorucci and Bergdorf Goodman, Vogue reported.

Michelle Obama in a Isabel Toledo design

Ron Sachs-Pool/Getty Images

She quickly made a name for herself and was praised for her avant-garde looks.

In addition to Obama, who wore a number of Toledo looks before moving into the White House, actresses Demi Moore and Debra Messing were also fans of the designer — sporting her designs on numerous red carpets.

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